Prison Break 2.18: "Wash"

The resolution phase of this season’s arc is just full of surprises. The past few episodes have been a lot of fun, as plot threads continue to collapse back into the main story in surprising ways, and character fates continue to be unpredictable. At this point, it’s not hard to see how the various plot threads are going to overlap, which is a very good sign. With four episodes left to go, the endgame is definitely in sight.

The writers pulled one last surprise out of the bag regarding the evidence exonerating Lincoln: it’s a copy and inadmissible in court. Learning that is less than obvious, since Michael and Lincoln try to contact one of their father’s allies and nearly get caught in a trap. Kudos to Sara for being the one to work out the truth, even if she took an enormous chance by visiting her father’s grave. (It was a nice touch for the ground at her father’s grave to be so fresh; it’s easy to forget how little time has passed since the escape.)

In the end, the only way to use the recorded conversation on the thumb drive is confrontation of President Reynolds, which ties in very nicely with Kellerman’s decision to kill his former employer and romantic target. It’s a very nice touch to have Kellerman inadvertently become a threat to Michael’s last ditch effort to end the whole nightmare. And his little scene with his sister made him a little more human, even though it’s probably going to be the reason why he gets caught before the assassination, if that’s how it plays out.

With the conspiracy gaining on Michael and Lincoln, Mahone’s deal with C-Note takes a tragic turn. Once again, we get to see Mahone’s human side, even if it comes at a moment that is rather inhuman at its core. Mahone looks incredibly shaken by his order to kill C-Note, and the resulting subplot with C-Note’s reaction to the choice dropped in his lap is very well done. It’s possible that C-Note will survive in the end, but it was an unexpected turn for the plot to take.

Bellick is sent to bring in Sucre, who is finally getting a few moments of happiness with Maricruz. Things always seem to go badly once a member of the Escape Squad has that kind of moment, so there’s little doubt that Sucre’s safe haven is about to fall apart. In fact, knowing Bellick, Maricruz and the baby are hardly out of the line of fire.

The wild card in all of this is T-Bag. After his misadventures in the middle of nowhere, seemingly as far away from the rest of the world as one could get from the rest of the Escape Squad, his fortunes take him back to Chicago and on the same flight as Bellick. It shouldn’t be long before T-Bag ends up right in the middle of the mess at the end of the season.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the episode takes place in the final act. Usually, when someone is in a room and another character is hunting them down, the editing will imply that the hunter is converging on the location of the prey. Typically, the prey is safely elsewhere, having fooled the hunter once again. This time, it could still happen that way, but the likelihood is that Mahone will finally catch up with Michael. That confrontation will certainly be worth the wait.

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4

Final Rating: 8/10